Behind THE artworks with Cornelius Martin

1. Who / what has been your biggest inspiration?

Who: Georgia O’ Keeffe - Stormcloud over Lake George 1923

The wisdom to simplicity - she painted the spiritual essence of nature. She was able to express her visions about the surreal beauty of nature

What: The reveal, the reward and ultimate gratification of the mysteries of nature. The inspiration and influence activate all senses, as a stimulus for painting, an extraordinary obsessional remedy, an ancestral relationship.

"Between the leaves" - Cornelius Martin

2. What informs your practice?

“Dreamtime illusions”

Illusions are sacred, reality profane. 110 km south of Tennant Creek: big eggs - the size of a mountain - were laid by the Rainbow Serpent. Stay out there, all by yourself and see them changing from balmy weather grey tones to flamboyant apocalyptic colour explosions, see it, interpret it through yourself as a medium-painter and release it, communicate it, that’s the triumph of imagination.

3. How would you describe what you do to someone who hasn’t seen your art?

A transition between figurative realism and lyrical abstraction. A movement of lines, surfaces, colours, shapes, composition and geometry. It’s the eyeshine reflected back from the retina of the nocturnal animal into your own eyes: it engages with your imagination, they are expressions from being at the mercy of nature.

4. When and how did you first fall in love with Art?

At the age of six. I was far too young to understand terminologies, but I was in an ecstatic state of mind when I was drawing and painting. It was a true release from my surrounding reality. I felt and saw several laminations behind reality, a world of enchanted imaginary dimensions. I was aware that the earth is a ‘feeling’ sensitive organism, like every living organism it needs love and attention. It is that love and attention that I wanted to retain in my drawings. These moments were the first experiences about the need to express my dreams and feelings about nature.

"Dust" - Cornelius Martin

5. What themes can be found in your work?

6. How did you come to the conclusion that painting is your strongest/preferred medium?

Painting is most likely the oldest expression of art. In the very beginning: objects were made to function, but once they were coloured, painted drawn upon, it gave them a spiritual power, illuminating higher qualities, a physical and a metaphysical power.